A mum has described the constant pain and feeling of blood "chugging" through her leg after suffering with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) for almost a year.

Gillingham resident Kelly Alcindor first started getting the pains last October but says she's been "left to her own devices" after struggling to reach her doctor for an appointment for 10 months.

Gillingham mum Kelly Alcindor says she can feel the blood 'chugging' through her leg after suffering DVT for 10 months

The pain got so bad after five days she went to Medway Maritime Hospital and saw a consultant who referred her to her GP at Medway Medical Practice in Malvern Road, Gillingham, for further treatment.

She was told she requires specialist surgical stockings – which could only be organised through her GP – to help blood flow and was placed on blood thinning medication.

But despite following up the referral from the hospital with her doctors, Kelly says it has taken 10 months to speak to a doctor and the pain has been getting worse with severe swelling to her left leg.

She said: "Some days are worse than others. I went shopping yesterday and just that short bit of exercise has left me in pain.

"After 10 months I still can't get a pair of shoes on, I'm wearing sliders all the time.

"It's a constant pain but it's weird how you get accustomed to that pain.

"You can see the blood chugging through the veins and feel it trying to get through. It's quite scary.

"I am getting passed from pillar to post with the hospital saying one thing and the doctors another, I just want it to end. I want to be listened to.

"I have gone from being a really active person to not being able to get my own shoes on."

The 50-year-old former support worker for vulnerable children says she does not know what triggered the DVT but said she had overcome Covid in the weeks before the swelling in her leg started.

Kelly, of Kingswood Road, says she has received copies of letters written from the hospital consultant to the GP practice and says she's phoned up the surgery "at least once a month" trying to arrange an appointment without success.

She said she had written twice to raise her concerns with the practice – which said it had not received a formal complaint – but says she's tried everything to make progress.

"After one call to the surgery, I got off the phoned and sobbed," the mum-of-three said.

"I've struggled with the doctor and the whole system.

"I wanted to give up and felt so deflated to fight for what I need.

"I do understand we're in the middle of a Covid situation but so many vulnerable people aren't getting the help they need. You can't just leave people to their own devices."

On Monday, Kelly says she finally spoke to a GP for the first time since October about her condition and was prescribed with stronger painkillers having been using paracetamol which was not working to ease her discomfort which she says she's "very grateful" for.

But she said she remained "very much in the same situation" in trying to get longer-term assistance she was told she requires.

Further pains have started developing in her stomach, which Kelly is worried could be another blood clot developing.

An ultrasound scan was arranged to take place but when she arrived at the hospital was unable to have the scan because of a paperwork issue.

She is due to meet with her consultant at Medway Maritime again next month and hopes to discuss this and the ongoing situation.

After KentOnline raised Kelly's situation with the practice this week, she was contacted by the surgery and has a face-to-face appointment booked in. She is due to meet with her GP today (Friday).

"I am getting passed from pillar to post with the hospital saying one thing and the doctors another..."

A spokesman for Medway Medical Centre said: "Due to patient confidentiality the practice is unable to comment on any aspect of patient care, however Medway Medical Centre take patient complaints and feedback very seriously.

"We take them as an opportunity for quality improvement and training purposes and had the patient escalated to management as soon as they were unhappy, it would have been resolved in the same timely manner as it has been since it was brought to our attention.

"We would urge any patients unhappy with the service they have received to contact us directly so we can investigate their concerns and provide a full response.

"Any patient who raises a complaint will have it responded to quickly through our practice’s complaints procedure.”

Kelly says she is pleased the situation could be resolved after suffering for so long.

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